Intermittent Power window problem 95 explorer
 

My '95 Explorer 4door, 4x4 (with 243,000miles) has a power window promblem I can't find an answer to so far in searching the forums.

The windows work fine mostly...no noises, smooth, ect. THEN for no apparent reason, they quit working. They are stuck in whatever position they were in. All four windows all switches....window lock off. Everything else works fine. THEN, for again no apparent reason, they all start working just fine again! No clicking from relays, no power drains when not working...doesn't matter if driving or setting, weather has no bearing. Fueses are all good. Grounds good (at least as far as I can tell..could have missed one. aaahhhhhrrrrrrgggggggg!
I have been dealing with it for a few months now with no change. The dealer has no ideas to offer but wants me to "bring it in" for them to "look at"...which worrys me whenever dealer exploratory surgery is considered.

Any Ideas?
Thanks.,

Have you checked the fuse in the power distribution box under the hood? take a look at this link and scroll down to the correct diagram: http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker...3d800ba8f3.jsp

Yes, checked and cleaned. Even while windows don't work, the power door locks still work fine and it looks like they are on the same fuse. Can fuses be intermittent? I thought a fuse was either good or completely blown and have to be replaced?

Fuses cannot be intermittent. I would think that there is a loose connection somewhere. The first place I would look is the driver side window switch. Have you cleaned all the connections there? If so, I would go get another drivers side master window switch and swap them out and see if that takes care of the problem. If you don't have a junkyard nearby, you can jumper out the wires and see if the window still moves the next time the problem occurs. If it does move then the window switch is bad. If it doesnt move the problem is somewhere else.

Another thing to check is the main ground or power wire for the master window switch. They run through the front side of the door and into the body. Sometimes after time the wires break from bending back and forth from opening and closing the door.

Next time the act up, try opening the door and try again. If they work then you have a intermittant bad wire at that flex-point. Now keep in mind getting to those wires can be extremely difficult without removing the door. A lot of times it's easier just to run a new wire than to try to find the fault and repair the old one.

Another thing - a lot of the older vehicles also had a circuit breaker for the windows which plugs in just like a fuse and looks like a small relay. When the motors heat up due to a restriction or wear they pull more amperage and can trip the breaker, which resets itself once it cools off after a minute or two. I don't know if the 95 is equipped that way, but it's something to keep in mind.

What are the exact conditions when they quit working? Is it just not working at all? Or does it stop working while opening/closing any or all the windows?

will try to find out if it has a circut breaker but all the wireing diagrams show the windows and door locks on the same circut...the door locks still work when the windows quit.

The windows have never quit while in use. they usually will just not roll back up or not roll down. . Will the master switch cause the other door switches to stop working? I would have thought that the switches on the other doors would still work if the master stopped? Will a switch be that intermittent? No amount of door opening and closing-gear shift lever manipulation-key on/off/on/off-switch fiddling-tilt steering wheel moving-door kicking-fuse checking-lights on/off-colorful language use has made any difference...they start working again just whenever they want to.

I will try to find and check the main grounds and clean the switch terminals again.
thanks for all the suggestions...this one is baffling.

Did you ever find the problem with your power windows? I have the exact same problem with my 95 explorer.